Squad Goals — A Mass Effect Podcast

Nick, Chip, and Kurabara are back once again to continue talking about their experiences playing through Mass Effect Andromeda! This week, we finally take the Moshae back to Aya after she’s been sitting on the Tempest for ages.

They begin by talking about the what Angarans eat and wonder about getting solar lamps on the Tempest. After a quick recap of events, they discuss the big revelation from Aya’s vault – that there’s a control center for the vaults named Meridian, and they need to get the location from the Archon. They talk about how the vault was just a cutscene and not an actual location with combat and puzzles.

Next, they discuss using various profiles for different activities and talk about biotic jumping. They also talk about leveling up their skills.

They wonder about some open questions that would have been left for Andromeda 2, and observe that much of the lore is accessible in terminals that are easily missed. Chip points out that interactive objects should trigger on the scanner. They also discuss the speed of the story and much of the open world of the game can be skipped.

They compare their time on Aya being able to freely travel against their prior visit when they were escorted. Nick mentions the overlook where you can see storms and tornados in the distance. They discuss the Tavetaan and compare it to a bar or bistro. They wonder if it would be possible to meet every remaining Angara. They talk about the Angaran lottery to live on Aya.

Next, they talk about finding the crew on Aya. Cora is watching the Resistance train. Peebee is getting drunk in the museum. Liam encourages Ryder to get in trouble. Jaal is getting the attention of some female Angaran.

They also discuss some of the side quests, such as collecting messages from the Angaran for Director Tann. They realize that the so-called First Contact with the Kett on Habitat 7 was not first contact. They wonder about eating food from a different galaxy, and how convenient it is that all these planets are mostly hospitable for humanity.

They discuss Angaran society some more, and then mention that their next goal will have them going to Kadara Port.

Thank you for listening to Squad Goals – A Mass Effect Andromeda Podcast! Please send any comments or questions to [email protected] or @squadgoalsN7.mash.gg on Bluesky.

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3md

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Chip Locke

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Nick, Chip, and Kurabara are here for a special episode talking about the recent restructuring at Bioware. But first, they talk about their plans for an upcoming multiplayer night where they’ll be streaming themselves playing the Mass Effect Andromeda Multiplayer and playing alongside anyone from the community willing to join. The event will be March 1st at 10:00 pm EST at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Check the discord for more details.

Next, the guys get into talking about the recent Bioware news. They talk about how the studio has gone down to under 100 employees after pretty much everyone that worked on Dragon Age: The Veilguard was either laid off or sent to other studios at EA. They talk about Veilguard’s reception and how it seemed like it was well received (except amongst parts of the community primed to dislike it) and wonder if EA’s expectations were what was off. They talk about its struggled development being made as a live-service game and then being reworked to not be a live service game.

Next, they discuss what this means for Mass Effect 5 now that it is fully the focus of those left at Bioware. They talk about how Mass Effect 5 must be a success or Bioware is done. They talk about the struggle that new games face upon release as the market is squeezed by all the ongoing live-service games, including Fortnite, World of Warcraft, and Final Fantasy XIV. They talk about Anthem and Andromeda’s struggles and Chip wonders if Andromeda is due for a legendary edition. Nick points out that if they can get ME5 done in two years, it will still be ten years since Andromeda was released.

Thank you for listening to Squad Goals – A Mass Effect Andromeda Podcast! Please send any comments or questions to [email protected] or @squadgoalsN7.mash.gg on Bluesky.

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3mb

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Chip Locke

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Nick, Chip, and Kurabara are back to continue talking about their experiences playing through Mass Effect Andromeda. Nick starts off by mentioning the Moshae has been stuck on his ship for a while now, and then the guys follow up on their multiplayer discussion from last week. It turns out the multiplayer plays better when you have four people. (Thanks, Jerry!)

Next, the guys get to their main topic: returning to the Nexus. (Sorry, Moshae!) They talk about a guy who is into Gil, and Nick rants a little about Suvi. Then they discuss the Vortex and the bartender who asks Ryder to get several ingredients. They mention open mic night and talk about the poker game against Gil, and his reveal that he has a friend named Jill.

They talk about the crowd in hydroponics that is protesting because their family members have yet to be awakened. This leads to Ryder having a face off with management and making a decision about who to back. The guys discuss the peculiarity of aging past family members in cryo.

Next, they mention Liam’s idea for a movie night and his request for Ryder to download a movie from the security terminal. They wonder why there is neither a space internet nor a general store that would have movies.

They also talk about Davis Qar, who is single-handedly running HNS news. He asks Ryder to put receivers by each of the outposts, so back to the planets we will be going. The guys talk about the repetitive nature of the news reports in public. Kura compares HNS news to tik-tok.

They talk about Peebee’s surprise for Ryder at her apartment. Nick thinks that making the Remnant into a pet is a bad idea, but Chip and Kura approve. They also discuss Peebee’s ex-girlfiend Kalinda showing up to cause drama.

Next, they talk about a quest from Dr. Aridana to have SAM run some equations. This leads to SAM fending off a hacking attempt and Ryder confronting a compromised AVINA station that is hostile to AI.

They also discuss more of Alec Ryder’s unlocked memories. After wondering why the memories are just out in the middle of nowhere on these planets, they consider how strange it is for Ryder to see themselves in the memories. They also begin speculating on who the mysterious benefactor could be, and review the timeline linking Andromeda to the main trilogy. This also leads them to an investigation into Jien Garson’s death, and the reveal that she was murdered, but left a secret room behind.

Thank you for listening to Squad Goals – A Mass Effect Andromeda Podcast! Please send any comments or questions to [email protected] or @squadgoalsN7.mash.gg on Bluesky.

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3m5

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Chip Locke

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Nick, Chip, and Kurabara are back this week with an extra long episode about Voeld. They begin by talking about how many quests there are on Voeld and argue about the concept of 100% viability. Then, they discuss the merits of doing the vaults early on a given planet.

Next, they talk about their experiences playing the multiplayer. They talk about Origin and the EA app the problems they had connecting. Nick mentions that he didn’t know he could revive himself in multiplayer. They were glad it was PVE and not PVP.

Then the guys return to talking about Voeld. Nick got chased by an Eiroch, and he and Kura both parked on top of a glyph they needed to scan. They also talk about radioing with a sniper in a Kett minefield.

They bring up the outpost on Voeld and how when it appears, the NPCs act like they have been there a while. Chip mentions there’s a large Angaran city on Voeld that we never see. They compare the sub-freezing temperatures with the beach climate that was expected.

Next, they discuss a quest to track poachers. Ryder has to choose whether to allow the poaching to continue for science, or turn her in and end her studies. Everyone complains about SAM constantly interrupting to report that the temperature changed. They also talk about a quest to stop some younger Angara from getting themselves killed because they believe too heavily in reincarnation.

Then they review Cora’s quest to track the Asari ark. They also discuss a quest involving a meteor that is jamming signals and affecting the wildlife. They also mention a quest where the Kett abducted an entire Angaran family, and talk about the Kett fascination with genetics.

Next, they talk about how the outpost scientists were studying some seismic anomalies, and of course this leads to a confrontation with the Voeld architect.

They also talk about a quest to seek out some mercenaries in search of a map, and another quest where Ryder must decide whether torture of the Kett is acceptable. They also talk about how several quests reuse the same location but you can’t always complete all the quests on your first visit.

They talk about how the Archon is not relaying all his findings back to the greater Kett empire, and then discuss the Angaran AI that was hidden on Voeld. They also mention some additional tasks that can be completed on Voeld.

Thank you for listening to Squad Goals – A Mass Effect Andromeda Podcast! Please send any comments or questions to [email protected] or @squadgoalsN7.mash.gg on Bluesky.

Episode URL: [episode_short_url]

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Chip Locke

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

This week Nick, Chip, and Kurabara are back to continue talking about their experiences playing through Mass Effect Andromeda. They begin by wondering about the Kett opinions about how they make more Kett. Then they attempt to evaluate if the number of Kett makes it more or less likely that a given individual is killed by the Pathfinder.

They start to talk about returning to Eos, and joke about Ryder and the Kett getting high. They talk about Cora and her lack of self-confidence. They pursue her leads on the Asari arc but are directed to Voeld to continue the quest.

The guys debate the best way to approach all the side quests in this game. Then, they talk about the Additional Tasks in the journal and how most of those quests can be ignored. They also discuss the psychology of nudging players to explore new places.

Next, they talk about the Seismic Hammers quest that begins with a request to tap into some aquafers. Each hammer attracts more and more remnant until the last hammer triggers a giant remnant beast called an Architect.

After Kura shares a bad fight experience, they talk about assaulting the Kett Power Facility, where Ryder faces off against the Invictor. They also discuss how the various regions of Eos were named. Then they talk about encountering Bain Massani, who is Zaeed’s child.

Nick comments on all the fiends wandering Eos. He also compares scanning for minerals in the Nomad to the manual scan from the Normandy in Mass Effect 2. They consider how adding weapons to the Nomad would change combat.

They talk about the questline that involves listening to logs from a technician who placed several beacons and how he had a sick child. They also talk about Tech Danny Messier who bumbles his way across Eos. Nick compares him to Conrad Verner.

They talk about how the Kett were studying the Turian for Exaltation and bring up human genetics. They talk about the Kett fascination with human tech. They also discuss the dialog about how much Milky Way history should be taught in school. Finally, they talk about the obvious conclusion to the request to seek out an engineer who believed they could control Remnant.

Thank you for listening to Squad Goals – A Mass Effect Andromeda Podcast! Please send any comments or questions to [email protected] or @squadgoalsN7.mash.gg on Bluesky.

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3lz

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Chip Locke

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Nick, Chip, and Kurabara are back this week to continue their discussion of Mass Effect: Andromeda. They begin by Kura talking about respeccing his character. He and Chip discuss the Tech tree and the drone skills. Chip praises the profile system and the two discuss combos and detonators.

Nick mentions the Mass Effect crossover with Destiny 2 from last year. He talks about buying the pricey armor and getting some skins for his ship, sparrow and ghost.

After a recap, they discuss the primary mission on Voeld, the frozen planet. They compare the planet to Hoth in Star Wars. They discuss Angaran physiology and speculate on which Milky Way species would survive on the Andromeda planets. They talk about the lookouts Tseek and Beniska who provide some comedy. This leads to a discussion about how well the Angarans know the humans, since they have been studying them for over a year before ‘first contact.’ This leads to the Angaran understanding what it means why Ryder identifies as a pathfinder.

Nick talks about how he left the Angaran base and then returned to do the quest. Kura complains he can’t differentiate between the Angaran. Nick complains about the female Angaran design, while Chip dislikes the Angaran neck flap. Nick talks about struggling with the emoticons in the dialog circle. They mention Liam’s lack of a shirt and Suvi licking rocks.

They then discuss the mission to save the Moshae. They talk about finding the classroom and how the stasis pod evoked memories from Mass Effect 2. They compare the Kett and the Collectors. They marvel that the Kett have cubicles.

They then bring up Jaal’s reaction to the reveal of the exaltation. They discuss the fight against the Cardinal, and the subsequent choice Ryder has between saving the Angaran and blowing the base up. They talk about the Moshae’s passive aggressive disappointment if you save the Angaran. They compare the Asari and the Kett, and then compare Exaltation and Indoctrination. They highlight how the Kett titles like Archon and Cardinal make their society feel cult like. They consider how the fact that the player is most likely familiar with Mass Effect 2 means they are having different reactions to the Kett information than the characters who left the galaxy just as the Collectors were emerging.

Finally, they talk about Gil and his PTSD.

Thank you for listening to Squad Goals – A Mass Effect Andromeda Podcast! Please send any comments or questions to [email protected] or @squadgoalsN7.mash.gg on Bluesky.

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3lv

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Chip Locke

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Nick, Chip, and Kurabara are back to continue talking about their experiences playing through Mass Effect: Andromeda! This week they venture to Havarl, the Angaran homeworld. After a recap of events, they talk about how the vault felt like a quick coda to the story on the planet, which no one is complaining about, since the planet story felt longer. They talk about how the Nomad is not used on Havarl and Chip says that makes it annoying to get around. The area you have to explore is small, however. Nick compares Havarl to his concept of what Tuchanka should have been. They talk about the encounter with the Eiroch.

Next, they discuss how Turians are on Havarl. They are impressed by Ryder’s quick jump from ‘grey spiky aliens’ to Turian. They talk about how we would have walked all over the Turian wreckage during our initial survey of the area. They mention Amitus Rix who is the interim Turian leader since they are looking for their Pathfinder. He makes Nick run down a list of all known Spectres.

They talk about the Roekarr who are the hostile Angaran, and wonder how the Turian learned the word scourge if they were cut off from communications. They also wonder about how the Turian are surviving with their strange diet. They talk about how the hostility of the Kett lead to the hostility of the Roekarr lead to the suffering of the Turian.

They talk about the missing monolith being hidden underground. They wonder about the capabilities of the monolith.

They talk about the flying creatures that hover over the planet. They mention that Havarl would have been Habitat 3.

Nick talks about struggling to get to Mithrava and the guys argue about jumping puzzles. They talk about the myth of Zorai and the gauntlet relic. Chip compares Zorai to Javik (and not just because they have the same voice actor). They talk about Angaran reincarnation and wonder about the metaphysics behind it. They talk about the strange colonial vibes of the Initiative. They conclude by talking about the game performance on various systems.

Thank you for listening to Squad Goals – A Mass Effect Andromeda Podcast! Please send any comments or questions to [email protected] or @squadgoalsN7.mash.gg on Bluesky.

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3lr

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Chip Locke

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Nick, Chip, and Kurabara are back this week to talk about their experiences playing through Mass Effect Andromeda. After a recap of the events leading to their meeting with the Angara on Aya, they begin by discussing how translation works in this game, since the Kett didn’t understand them on Habitat 7 but now the Archon can talk with them. They also point out that the Angara didn’t speak English until suddenly they did. Chip observes that its funny that AI is banned in the Milky Way in the future despite the push for its use currently. They also debate how the Archon understood what Ryder meant when they called themselves The Pathfinder. They discuss how the Tempest was able to dodge the Scourge and talk about Asteroid Field density.

They compare arriving on Aya to Cloud City from Star Wars. Nick comments that he enjoyed Ryder’s pep talk. They question the comment that Ryder is “a human from another galaxy,” as its poor phrasing suggests certain interpretations. They wonder about the lack of a first contact protocol. They also consider why the Reapers never tried to come to Andromeda.

They talk about Aya and how it is not the original home planet for the Angara. They wonder about its size and remark on how well protected it is by the Scourge. They talk about how the Angara love the Moshae. They talk about how the Angara absorb sunlight and speculate that they might be descended from plants. They wonder if the names we have for Andromeda planets come from the Angara, and talk about how technology can be used for translation purposes.

They talk about how they board or enter the Tempest. The consider Kallo’s comment that Aya reminds him of Surkesh.

They then discuss some of the quests that arise on the Tempest, such as the extra 70 kg that turns out to be a mech melded in to the hull, and Liam and Jaal being weird with each other.

Thank you for listening to Squad Goals – A Mass Effect Andromeda Podcast! Please send any comments or questions to [email protected] or @squadgoalsN7.mash.gg on Bluesky.

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3lo

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Chip Locke

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Nick, Chip, and Kura are back to continue talking about their experiences playing Mass Effect: Andromeda. This week, they return to the Nexus and check-in with everyone there now that Eos has been properly settled.

But first, Nick talks about the murder mystery that was one of the tasks to be addressed on Eos. They talk about how Nilken, a turian, was arrested for killing his commander in a sandstorm while the kett were attacking. They review following the trail on Eos and finding the omni-tool recording that indicates Nilken tried to kill his commander and failed because the Kett did kill him. This leads to a discussion of how Nilken should be handled back on the Nexus and how the game does not allow for this to be addressed properly.

Next, they talk about Ryder’s post-Eos call with Addison, who faintly praises the Pathfinder. Nick speculates if Addison is the Udina and the guys get into a discussion about what sort of ambition would drive someone to leave their life to colonize another galaxy. Chip wonders if the Initiative brought enough people. Everyone agrees they do not like Addison but they wonder if she could be redeemed.

They discuss how the immigration queue is starting to bustle now that more cryo pods are awakening to support Eos. They talk about a power issue caused by a Pyjak that gets to join the Tempest crew. They talk about the Jien Garson VI in the cultural exchange center which doesn’t acknowledge that she’s dead, and the Ryder VI that you need to prepare. Nick complains about the pronunciation of Sajax. They discuss the Apex Missions on the mission table and how you only have to worry about equipping Ryder in this game.

Nick brings up Drack’s loyalty quest and how it doesn’t seem to make sense since you confront everyone before you have evidence. They talk about the AVP system for awakening cryo cells and then admire Tann’s upgraded office. They discuss how SAM is able to let Ryder to talk their unconscious sibling.

Thank you for listening to Squad Goals – A Mass Effect Andromeda Podcast! Please send any comments or questions to [email protected] or @squadgoalsN7.mash.gg on Bluesky.

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3ll

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Chip Locke

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Nick, Chip, and Kurabara are back this week to continue talking about their experience playing through Mass Effect Andromeda. They begin by revisiting their opinions on the first person travel on the Tempest, as Nick is starting to warm to it. Chip compares it to Star Wars Squadrons and they all want VR mode for Mass Effect 5.

After a recap of events on Eos, they talk about meeting Peebee and several other characters in what is supposed to be an abandoned settlement. They talk about acquiring the Nomad and compare it to the Mako. They wonder about its restriction from driving through water and consider the strength of the radiation on Eos. Chip and Nick talk about being lured out of the safe zones by the murder quest assigned on the Nexus. Nick talks about how the combat here is when the game starts to feel like Mass Effect.

They talk about their experience around the entrance to the vault. Nick got his Nomad stuck and Chip walked right into the deadly goo. They talk about how the Kett are already starting to feel like standard video game enemies. They discuss the encounter with the Fiend.

They talk about the Monoliths and get into a discussion of whether the glyph system of locking the remnant technology makes sense. Nick compares the Remnant to Zereth Mortis in World of Warcraft.

After a recap of the vault, Nick shares that he did not like the jumping puzzles. Kura says he got annoyed by the enemies. Chip argues that the mini-map should be more useful. They wonder about the creation of the Vault and Chip compares the Remnant to the Geth.

Chip updates the status of his mod-less playthrough. Then they talk about Drack and his armor and his age.

They look at the Eos architecture and compare the Vault technology with the Shroud on Tuchanka. They debate if Eos should host a science or military focused base.

Thank you for listening to Squad Goals – A Mass Effect Andromeda Podcast! Please send any comments or questions to [email protected] or @squadgoalsN7.mash.gg on Bluesky. FIEND!

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3le

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Chip Locke

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.